ustxtxb_obs_1979_03_02_50_00010-00000_000.pdf

Martin Frost, the progressive from Dallas-Fort-Worth and-in-between, who ousted Dale Milford, Congress’s only weatherman, is just the second freshman representative in this century to snare a seat on the rules committee. This panel, which sets the terms of debate for everything to come before the House, is the choicest slot going. Unfortunately, Frost’s win was a loss for fellow Dallasite Jim Mattox, who badly wanted the “Texas seat” opened up by John Young’s defeat. But the committee is the House leaders’ personal fiefdom, and they were none too pleased with some of Mattox’s votes last year his October vote to uphold Jimmy Carter’s veto of the porkbarrel public works bill, a veto Speaker Tip O’Neill and majority leader Jim Wright fought tooth-and-nail to override, keeps being mentioned. Frost is expected to go along with O’Neill and Wrightthough he told the Dallas Morning News “no blood oath has been asked for.” Meanwhile, Mattox retains his prestigious geat on the budget committee, where he is moving up in seniority and could land a subcommittee chairmanship as early as 1981. Sam Hall of Marshall got lost in a shuffle for vacant seats on the ways and means committee, the House’s powerful tax-writing body. Hall got the nod from the Democratic steering and policy committee, whose choices are sometimes challenged but seldom rejected by the full Democratic caucus. This time, though, the party’s progressive wing was winning a few and wasn’t happy with the nominees, who were expected to move the committee a good ways to the right. It took four caucus votes to do the deed, but Hall’s right-wing voting record was enough to dislodge him in favor of Wyche Fowler, the liberal Georgian who holds the House seat formerly occupied by UN ambassador Andy Young. The tussle leaves the Texas delegation with only one Democrat on ways and meansAustin Rep. Jake Pickle, who now ranks sixth on this panel. One of the most important debates of 1979-80 will concern social securitythe short-run issue is whether and how much to roll back scheduled payroll tax increases, the long-run biggie: how to finance the system in coming years as the babyboom generation grows old. And Pickle will be emcee. He’s the new chairman of the ways and means subcommittee on social security, a hot spot that’s one of the Congress’s more thankless jobs. The subcommittee’s ranking Republican is also a Texan, Bill Archer of Houston. A major debate on whether to bring back the draft or stick with an all-volunteer army has already begun, and it will be presided over by El Pasoan Richard White, who chairs the subcommittee on military personnel of the House armed,ser vtle was formally joined in subcommittee hearings February 15, and a big side issue promises to be: if we do reinstate the draft, do we draft women? One of White’s witnesses has the solution to that little dilemma: Robert Shuck, the acting director of the Selective Service, declared that he personally opposes registering women until men learn how to have babies. Though Texans are crowded together on the commerce committee, and have more than their share of seats on some others as well \(four, including chairman Ray Roberts, sit sent from four committees. There are none on international House administration, none on the ethics panel. And, for the 25th year in a row, there are no Texans on the education and labor committee. This panel, which handles touchy issues like busing and anti-poverty programs, is considered a snakepit, best left to the Northern liberals who control it and the rightwing Republicans who use it as a platform for tirades against the welfare state. All of which leaves Texas educators and labor union officials without a homestate advocate. r Wh ere they sit \(ranking Republican, chairman, government operations committee \(chairman, subcommittee on legislation chairman, select committee on congressional operations. \(ranking Republican, Kika de la Garza \(chairman, subcommittee on department investigafisheries committee; select committee on narcotics abuse and control; Democratic steering and policy committee. Bob Eckhardt \(chairman, ior and insular affairs committee. Martin Frost Henry Gonzalez affairs committee \(chairman, subcommittee on interbusiness committee. Phil Gramm ans’ affairs committee. Sam Hall committee. Kent Hance technology committee. Jack Hightower Chick Kazen tee \(chairman, subcommittee on water and power re Marvin Leath committee; veterans’ affairs committee. Mickey Leland fice and civil service committee; District of Columbia committee. Tom Loeffler Jim Mattox and urban affairs committee. Ron Paul committee. Jake Pickle \(chairman, Ray Roberts chairman, veterans’ affairs com mittee; public works and transportation committee \(chairman, Charles Stenholm office and civil service committee. Richard White \(chairman, ence and technology committee; chairman, Democratic Research Organization. Charlie Wilson \(chairman, subcommittee on the District of ColumJim Wright House majority leader; budget committee; Democratic steering and policy committee. Joe Wyatt marine and fisheries committee. 10 MARCH 2, 1979